


in the end

by MapleAppleBittle



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Death, Ghost Sex, M/M, Magic, Paranormal, Temporary Character Death, and then human sex, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 00:28:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13399539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MapleAppleBittle/pseuds/MapleAppleBittle
Summary: “Eric Bittle, boyfriend of NHL superstar Jack Zimmermann, and captain of Samwell University’s men’s ice hockey team, is dead. He was only 21.”Bitty's dead. So why can he still talk to Jack?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry. I promise there's a happy ending!!!

_“Eric Bittle, boyfriend of NHL superstar Jack Zimmermann, and captain of Samwell University’s men’s ice hockey team, is dead. He was only 21.”_

It happens like this:

There’s a well-placed hip check.  A freak landing.

Bitty is now looking over at his own crumpled body on the ice.  He sees the horrified looks on his teammates’ faces. The coaches. And yet, his only thought is…

Jack.

Mama. Coach. It’s parents’ weekend. They came to watch him play hockey. They saw him die instead.

He watches as the medical team carries him off the ice in a desperate bid to try and save his life. They don’t know yet that it’s too late. He sees Dex chasing after the guy who hit him. He sees nobody but the referees trying to stop him.

He sees the blood on the ice and feels sick to his stomach.

 

Bitty’s in the hospital.

He doesn’t know why he’s here. It makes no sense. Everything Bitty’s ever been taught has been when you die you go to heaven or hell. Everything Bitty’s ever believed has told him that death would bring eternal oblivion. Is this some kind of intense hallucination?

Probably not, he thinks, wringing his hands as he paces back and forth, much like his father is doing. He doesn’t think he could hallucinate the look on Jack’s face.

Jack is paler than Bitty has ever seen him. His eyes are red and swollen with tears. He looks frail, his arms wrapped around himself as he tries to control his breathing. In life, Bitty would have traded everything he had to never have to see that look on Jack’s face. Now, he watches helplessly as everyone he loves falls apart.

Bitty sinks to the ground. He wants his Mama to hold him right now, and tell him everything is going to be okay. But it’s not. Nothing is ever going to be okay again. He just had his entire life ripped away from him because some homophobic asshole on the ice decided he wanted Bitty to hurt.

Jokes on that guy. He didn’t feel a goddamn thing.

His family and friends, however, are the ones who did get hurt. For that, Bitty doesn’t think he will ever be able to forgive the jerk that did this to him. It may have technically been an accident, there’s no way he meant for Bitty to die, but nonetheless, Bitty hopes he rots in jail.

Bitty sees the doctor approaching. He feels his metaphorical heart rise in his throat.

“I’m sorry.” The doctor says. “We did everything we could…”

Bitty does not catch the rest of his sentence. His eyes are planted firmly on his mother, who has collapsed to the ground sobbing. His father, whose shoulders droop, who is fighting back tears. Jack, whose shoulders are shaking and who is choking out sobs and trying to catch his breath. His friends, his teammates, his coaches, whose faces all express varying degrees of shock and grief.

Bitty is numb.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack can relate. He can't do this either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the positive response! I love reading all of your comments. I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

Jack settles down on the couch, wrapping his blanket tightly as he prepares for a second sleepless night. There are a lot of those waiting for him in the future.

He stares blankly up at the ceiling.  It’s been one full day since Bittle died. It would hurt like hell if he could feel anything at all.

This is the second time Jack’s had his future ripped straight out of his hands.  He wonders if this is some sort of karmic payback. If maybe he’s wronged someone so badly in the past the universe thought it would be fitting to extinguish the brightest light in Jack’s life.

He squeezes his eyes shut, tears rolling helplessly down his cheeks.

This is not fair.

Jack shifts, pulling one throw pillow into his arms. He’s not going to be able to sleep, but he can at least try to get comfortable. It’s not like he can sleep in bed right now.

To be honest, he probably won’t ever be able to sleep in the bed he shared with Bitty again.

“Fuck.” He whispers hoarsely. “Fuck.”

There is no logical reason this should have happened. Bitty was young. Bitty was healthy. Bitty was the most wonderful person on the entire goddamn planet. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.

Jack lets out a sob.

He doesn’t know what he’s going to do without him.

The service, of course, is beautiful.

Jack talks about him. Tells all of Bitty’s friends and family about his capacity for love, and compassion. Tells them all about how Bitty gave him a second chance even when Jack really didn’t deserve one.

He tells them how much he wanted to marry Bitty.

He spends the rest of the time by Suzanne and Richard’s sides. As much as this is hurting him, has devastated him, he can’t imagine the kind of pain they’re going through as they lay their only child to rest.

“Let me know if there’s anything you need.” Jack says hoarsely. “Anything at all.” Richard nods. Suzanne lets out a sob and pulls Jack into a hug.

She’s shorter than Bitty, but it still feels like a Bitty hug. It hurts too much.

“We would have loved to have you as a son in law, Jack.” She says, and Jack nods. “I wish…” She stops, and inhales deeply. “Excuse me, Jack. I can’t do this.” She walks away quickly.

Jack can relate. He can’t do this either.

Jack makes it home at around 7 o’clock. His body is tired, his mind is tired, and his heart is tired. Everything hurts, and Jack is almost certain that by this point he’s cried out every single drop of water in his body. All he wants to do is lay down and go to sleep.

No.

What he really wants is to wake up and have this be some sort of nightmare. He wants to wake up in his bed with Bitty’s arms wrapped tightly around his chest, Bitty’s breath in his ear, Bitty’s drool on his pillow. He would trade everything he has. His cup ring. His money. His everything.

He looks at his phone. There’s a single text, from George, asking how he’s been. Ever since Bitty’s passing, the SMH group chat has been silent. They are all keenly feeling Bitty’s absence.

Jack pours himself a glass of water out of habit. He doesn’t want to- every cell in his body is screaming at him to give up- to curl up on the floor and wait to join Bitty in whatever afterlife there is- but he can’t break 26 years of habit. As much as he wants to be with Bitty, he wants to be with Bitty alive. He isn’t ready to die.

He hears, rather than sees, the mug breaking next to his head. He looks to the ground. There on the floor lies the shattered remains of an old, navy blue coffee mug.

“What the hell?” He mutters, staring down at the ground in complete confusion. He didn’t hear anyone enter his apartment. He must have knocked it off the counter, though he thought he’d had the mug put away inside one of the cabinets.

“Sorry, sugar. But I had to get your attention some way, didn’t I?”

Jack’s eyes widened. He knows that voice. He’s _missed_ that voice. He forces himself to turn around.

“Bittle?!”


End file.
